Flora and Fauna
by Ravynofshadows
Summary: When Clove Dorrian enters the Hunger Games, she expects to win. Autumn Flint expects to die. But what neither of the two girls expect is to fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

Autumn's POV

After dinner, we gather around a TV in one of the train compartments to watch the reapings. Gemma tries to make small talk, and she offers her little comments on each tribute. Only Harvey even attempts to oblige her. Derra is sitting apart from the rest of us, while Kurt and I are silently scrutinizing the competition. Thankfully, most of the others don't look too dangerous. A few of them stand out to me, though. There are the hulking boys from Districts 2 and 11, but neither of them look that smart. As long as I stay out of their ways, I'll probably be safe. It's the girls I'm worried about: the tiny, intelligent one from 11 and the volunteer from 12. And, of course, the attractive but satanic girl from District 2. But I'll find ways to outlast them all.

"Autumn, are you okay?" Gemma asks nervously. I jump, startled. "I'm fine. Just thinking."  
"Well, that won't get you anywhere in the games." Gemma says. Kurt rolls his eyes and speaks to her.  
"Nothing will get us anywhere. We're district 5." He has a kind voice, and for a moment I regret not getting to know him better while I had the chance. But that would only be a strategic weakness while in the Games. So instead I just give him a small smile, then stand up. "I'm going to bed." I announce. "I'll see you all in the morning."

Clove's POV

"I look weak." I say, glaring at the screen. Cato shakes his head. "No you don't, Clove. You look deadly."

"Thanks." I mutter. I go back to sharpening my fingernails with a steak knife. We stay silent for a few minutes.

"All the tributes look wimpy this year." I say in an attempt to break the silence. "Except-"

"Don't tell me you like one of them." Cato interrupts.

"Nah, not really." I lie. "I mean, the redhead's pretty, but District 5? Really?"

"Yeah." Cato says. "Not up to speed for us, is she?" He takes one of my knives and throws it at the wall, getting a solid stick between two of the panels. "I taught you well." I say, looking up from my nails.

"You taught me nothing."

I snort and throw the knife I'm holding. It embeds itself in the same seam, at the exact angle it takes to dislodge Cato's. I pick up the next knife and begin working on my left ring finger. The end of the blade slips, and slits my fingertip.

"Hell." I say, looking at the blood and trying to ignore the pain. It's a nice color, blood. Red and rich and almost iridescent. It quiets the monster. "I'm tired." I announce, standing up and leaving. What I really mean is tired of company, but I'm not about to tell my friend that. I go to my room and try to fall asleep, but I can't get the redheaded girl out of my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Autumn's POV

When I wake up, Derra is standing in my doorway. "Hi." I say, feeling awkward. " Get dressed. Breakfast. Arrive at noon." I've noticed that Derra is a woman of few words, possibly as a result of things she saw in the games. But she gets her point across just fine. I pull on a pair of green pants and a white shirt with short sleeves, then put my hair up in a messy ponytail. "Ready." I tell Derra. She turns around and leads me through a few compartments. I can smell something cooking.

We reach the dining room and take the two empty seats at the table set for five. Harvey, Gemma and Kurt are already sitting down. Gemma is eating primly from a small bowl of oatmeal and fruit, while Harvey and Kurt dig in to plates of bacon, eggs and biscuits with melting butter. "Hi." I say.

"Hey." Kurt doesn't even look up from his food.

A pretty girl in a white uniform hands me a plate and gestures to a buffet set up along the right wall of the train compartment. "Thanks." I say.

"Autumn, don't talk to Avoxes!" Gemma snaps. I don't ask what an Avox is. I'll figure it out. For now, I'm just hungry. I step up to the buffet table and look at my options: bacon, eggs, about fifty different kinds of bread... but I decide not to overfill. If I'm bloated when the games begin, I won't be able to run as well. I pick out an apple and a biscuit, then sit down.

"So, how did you sleep?" Gemma asks. I just shrug. "I'm going back to my room after breakfast."

"Well remember, we're going to be in the Capitol in a few hours!" Gemma says. Harvey and Derra exchange a look, and Derra rolls her eyes. I have to fight not to laugh. I eat my food quickly, ignoring the personal questions Gemma asks me. When I'm done, I stand up. "Bye," I say, brushing a few crumbs off of my shirt. "I'll see you later."

Kurt and I stand, our faces pressed against the window. "Woah." Kurt mutters. The Capitol is impressive, I'll admit. But as I stand there looking at the people in their bright, insane clothing, and the soaring glass buildings with their diamond capstones, all I can think about is the fact that these people are going to kill me.

Clove's POV

When we finish breakfast, Cato and I are led to a compartment with a full window. We stand in front of it, watching as the citizens of the Capitol cheer and wave at us. Neither Cato nor I wave back. Instead we stare emotionlessly back at them. I feel the corner of my mouth turn up involuntarily at the attention. The monster likes it. I push her down. "Shut up."

Cato gives me a confused look. "Are you telling me to shut up?" He growls.

"No." I mutter.

"Then who are you talking to?"

"No one." I mutter again.

Cato shrugs and returns to glaring out the window at the crowd. We stand there in uncomfortable silence until we reach the building where we'll be staying for the next week. Where our preparations for the Games begin.


	3. Chapter 3

Autumn's POV

"Well, you're okay." My stylist, Metis, says. I cross my legs, uncomfortable with her scrutiny. But I have no reason to worry. By looking at her, I can figure that she is in her early forties. She wears a thin gold band on her left ring finger, so she's married. And, despite her capital breeding, her skin is colored like that of human being, and her facial features are realitively natural. She is not going to attack me, or even try to dress me as a wind turbine, like that poor girl last year. So I uncross my legs. The Games are not a fashion show, but making an impression on the Capitol is important. It helps you get sponsors, which I'll need to survive. "Thanks?" I say.

"Oh, hun, it was a compliment. Once we fix you up a bit more, you'll be the star of tonight's parade." She smiles at me. "No wind turbines, I promise. Gaius was _so _uncreative."

"So what will I be wearing?" I ask.

Metis smiles again, and pulls something out from behind her back with a flourish. "This!" It's a thin jumpsuit made of shiny black material.

"What is it?" I ask

"A solar panel!"

Personally, I don't think that a solar panel is any more creative than a wind turbine. But at least the costume is sleek, so I won't have to lug a bulk of extra weight around.

"Well at least it's...light." I say weakly.

"Of course it is! I mean, not everyone can make a solar panel gorgeous. But I can and I did!"

"Thanks."

Metis nods with enthusiasm, completely unaware that I'm lying through my teeth to compliment the outfit. "Now go on! Get dressed, and then we'll do you're hair!"

I duck behind the couch I'm sitting on, then realize that I'm without underwear.

"Um, do you have a pair of underpants?" I ask, my cheeks burning red.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Metis hands me a pair, a bit skimpier than I would have under normal circumstances. But I put them on, and then pull on the jumpsuit, struggling with the zipper in the back.

When I'm done, I walk back to sit down on the couch. Metis gives me a once-over. "Perfect!" She chirps. "Now for your hair!" She leads me over to a mirror and has me sit down in front of it. She stands behind me, with scissors in hand. I look at them in the mirror, judging whether they're sharp and whether I've broken any rules since I was reaped. But with blue plastic handles and smooth edges, they probably couldn't do much damage. I roll my shoulders back, releasing the tension. Metis bounces excitedly on the balls of her feet. "Time to give you a little trim!" She brings the scissors to my hair and begins to cut in a thin, even line. When she's done, bits of hair lie scattered on the floor and all of my hair is an equal length.

"It's nice." I say, this time truthfully. Metis nods. "I know. How do you feel about braids?"

"They're fine" I say, and Metis begins her work. Her fingers are deft, and when she's done, my hair is braided and artfully styled up into a bun.

"Wow."

"I know!" Metis says. "Are you ready for the parade?"

I'm not. But though my muscles are still tense and my guard still up, I certainly look the part.

Clove's POV

"You're definitely striking, I'll give you that." Tiberius says, looking me over again. "You're not the kind of girl one can lose in a crowd."

I smirk at my stylist. "Silent but deadly."

"Quite. And your figure is perfect for the costume I've designed."

"What is it?" I ask. I hope it's better than Cato's. I also hope it's sexy enough to win me sponsors...and perhaps the attention of the redheaded girl from District 5. She's the monster's newest weapon against me, it seems, and I would regard proving it wrong a personal victory.

"Is it...mature?"

"Medium." Says Tiberius. He walks over to the closet and pulls out a few items, then turns to show them to me. He holds a pair of dark brown leather pants, which are tight, but not really that sexy. There's also a tunic made of soft gold fabric. But the crowning jewel of my costume is the armor. It isn't that big, and it doesn't cover all of me. It's really just a few thin golden plates welded together for a chestplate, but it pulls the costume together.

"Mature enough." I say.


End file.
